Campus Style

On this campus, it is refreshing to spot someone with a look completely her own. Even more refreshing is when a person wears this look with confidence. Part of what makes junior English major Allie Binaco so stylish is her open attitude toward fashion and her willingness to work even the most unusual pieces into her look. She’s bold and always keeps it interesting. Instead of appearing flawlessly put-together, Binaco chooses to break the rules of fashion often too closely followed by others and make things her own. She masters the art of imperfection.

What are you wearing?
I got my dress at a boutique in Point Pleasant, N.J., the slip-on is from my mom’s closet and I bought the Frye boots in New Hope, Pa.

And your jewelry?
My grandpa is really into estate jewelry. He goes to auctions and buys all of this bulk junk jewelry. I stole these necklaces from him. Most of it just accumulates in our attic.

Where do you shop?
I really like thrift and vintage stores. I find a lot of my clothes at the Salvation Army and Goodwill. This summer, I lived in Washington Heights, N.Y. and there were so many little cheap, gaudy stores with really awful looking things. It’s fun to play with them and work them into my look.

What inspires you when you’re putting an outfit together?
I’m a texture person. I love contrasting colors, textures and fabrics. When I’m in a store I like to buy individual pieces as opposed to copying whole looks.

Do you find that your style changes a lot?
I get into phases. I’ve gotten really into cutting up Hanes T-shirts. Recently I’ve been wearing an excess of necklaces. Sometimes I want to wear the same shirt all week and I just wear it in different ways.

How did you dress when you were younger?
I definitely was experimental when I was younger. I would find things that were ridiculous and want to wear them. I still do that.

When did you go blonde?
I went blonde in March of last year. It was orange for a while because the hair dressers couldn’t get it the color I wanted. This summer, I went to a cosmetology school in SoHo to get my hair done and I was this girl’s final project, and she put blue in my hair. I was just like, “You do what you want, you know best.”

How do you feel about standing out with your look?
I’m a firm believer in being you and expressing yourself. It’s funny because my family hates my hair and my tattoo. They always say, “Why are you wearing that? We get it, you’re making a statement.”

What would you say to someone shy about standing out?
Find something that gets you excited, whether it’s a style, piece, color, fabric, or design. Run with it and make it your own.